


A Sprained Ankle

by shockandlock



Series: Trials of Fatherhood [4]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fatherhood, Fluff, Gen, Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:55:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24207049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shockandlock/pseuds/shockandlock
Summary: Jeralt knows that his daughter tries to be discreet when she is injured, but that doesn't mean that he can't help her.Written for HyphenZines Kith & Kin zine.
Relationships: Jeralt Reus Eisner & My Unit | Byleth
Series: Trials of Fatherhood [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1496096
Comments: 3
Kudos: 60





	A Sprained Ankle

**Author's Note:**

> This was the piece I wrote for HyphenZines Kith & Kin Zine based around Fire Emblem families! I just wanted to do a short thing for it, but I'm proud of what I wrote. Check the full free to download zine on twitter [here](https://twitter.com/HyphenZines/status/1261274352592486405?s=20) !
> 
> Enjoy!

Byleth has sprained her ankle.

Of course, she hasn’t said anything about it. She’s always been rather independent even though she’s only twelve, but still, Jeralt notices immediately when she falls to the back of the company. He doesn’t police where she walks, but she’s his daughter and he naturally has an eye on her. 

He pulls on the reins of his horse, nods at his second-in-command to continue forward, and turns around. 

Jeralt makes eye contact with Byleth as he makes his way towards her. She seems to have caught on to what he was doing because she tries to walk faster to catch up with everyone. It only makes her limp, originally imperceptible, more obvious. 

“Slow down, kid.” Jeralt says as stops beside her. “You’ll make it worse.”

Byleth stares at him quietly when he dismounts his horse. “Here. Let’s stop for a second.” Her eyes shift over to the retreating company when he says this. She shuffles forward, but almost trips instead. “It’ll be fine, kid. We’ll catch up to them later.”

Jeralt, clutching the reins in his free hand, leads her over to the side of the path where he sits her down on a rock. He ties his horse to a nearby tree and digs through his bag for a roll of bandages. He doesn’t get injured very often, but he always carries medical supplies for emergencies like this. 

“Which one hurts?”

She doesn’t say anything or point, but he sees the way her gaze shifts.

“The right one then?” 

Finally she responds with a quiet nod. He unlaces her boot and then hands it to her as he examines her ankle. It’s bruised slightly black and it’s definitely swollen. It must have hurt even more with the boot on. Jeralt starts wrapping. In the meanwhile, Byleth plays with the loosened laces of her boot.

He’s no doctor, but he knows some of the basics and he’s definitely thorough. “Not too tight?” he asks, securing the bandage.

She shakes her head and moves to stand up and put her boot back on, but Jeralt holds a hand up. “Hang on, kid. You shouldn’t be walking like that. Wait here for a second.”

He leads his horse back over Byleth and holds his hand out. “I’ll help you up.”

Byleth doesn’t ride on horseback often. The last time Jeralt remembers, she was still small enough for one of his mercenaries to just hoist her up and hand her to him. This time, he carefully instructs her on how to mount, warning her to be mindful of her ankle. “Boost up with your left leg on the stirrup and use your momentum,” he explains. 

She’s always been a quick learner, so Jeralt isn’t surprised when she mounts the horse without issue. She doesn’t look as tiny anymore atop the horse, but she still hasn’t quite grown into it. He would still be happy to teach her if it’s something she really wants. 

Jeralt holds the reins up. “You want me to lead?”

Byleth again refuses, shaking her head. Instead, she holds out her hand.

Jeralt smiles. He passes the reins to her. “Alright, alright. Just take it slow, kid. Be careful.”

They take it slow together, following behind the mercenary company long gone. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! I usually don't write in present tense, but I wanted to try something different for this one and I like how it turned out. I linked the zine's twitter in the first author's note, so make sure to check it out! Please leave a Comment and Kudos on the way out and let me know what you thought!
> 
> Also consider following me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/shockandlock) or checking out my [carrd](https://shockandlock.carrd.co/) if you'd like to see fun little writing updates or support me!


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